Food, family and memories are as intertwined in the South as if woven on the same thread. At any function we attend, from a party to a wedding to a funeral, we are as likely to talk as much about the food that was there, as we are about why we are gathered. ~Mary Foreman

I'm your cook, not your doctor. ~PAULA DEEN

I found out what the secret to life is: friends. Best friends. ~Ninny Threadgoode

Wednesday, March 21, 2012

Combine a pound of dried pinto or pink beans with a small pork loin roast for a delicious meal of pork and beans.

Slow Cooker Pork and Beans

One of the most favorite things that I really enjoy out of this blogging experience, is when I ask everybody "What's Cookin' Good Lookin'?'" over on the Facebook page. Readers share what's cooking in their kitchens, or what's planned, or sometimes just what they are craving, and very often, they share a recipe in those comments.

It was in one of those posts, that Natalie, one of our Facebook family members, mentioned making this bean dish, and I immediately put it on my list to try.

Natalie told us that this recipe came about during their evacuation from Hurricane Rita, and so I thought of a few clever names - Pork and Beans Rita, or Evacuation Beans and Pork, or even Hurricane Pork and Beans. In the end, I figured just good ole pork and beans would work the best. With hurricane season right around the corner though, this would be a great meal to put on while you wait out a storm in some hotel room north of the coastline, so it's a good reminder to put your crockpot on your evacuation packing list. Of course, you don't really need a hurricane to give it a whirl either.

Natalie uses two packets of onion soup mix for her recipe, but feel free to substitute the homemade version included in the notes if you prefer. Now that I've tasted this recipe, I also think it'd be fantastic with those homemade seasonings, but substituting freshly sauteed raw onion for the dried, and I can't say that a bit of bacon wouldn't hurt either, if you don't mind taking a few extra minutes to do that. I'll definitely be making it again for sure and I'm likely to play around with some additional seasonings too, so I say, add in your favorite pinto bean seasonings when you make this. Gotta say though, it's pretty darned tasty written just as it is.

Oh yeah - I did get a little bit of a chuckle outta this too. Remember that time that I wanted to cook up a nice pork roast, and I asked The Cajun to pick one up for me on his way home? And he showed up with this itty bitty, two-pounder piece of pork that I could literally hold in the palm of my hand?

Well... this recipe was perfect for that! So funny that the man who usually comes home with the industrial-sized everything, would bring me a 2 pound pork roast. Next time I want pulled pork or a nice dinner pork roast with intended leftovers, I guess I should be much more specific on that size thing.

Here's how to make this lovely recipe for slow cooker pork and beans, and thanks so much Natalie for sharing your recipe!

I had some pink beans in the pantry, so that's what I used this time, but this would be great with pintos too, since they are both similar in texture and flavor. The small red beans (not the red kidney beans) and even white beans would also be good choices for this dish.

Do the usual pick through, sort and rinse thing with the beans.

Add some of the water to the two onion soup mix seasoning packets, chili powder and black pepper; whisk together. Hold off on any salt though since we're using a packaged product for seasoning.

Add the beans to the slow cooker and pour the seasoned broth and the rest of the water over the beans. Stir in the jalapenos too if you're using them, and feel free to add in any of your own personal, favorite pinto bean seasonings here too. I'm thinking a packet of Sazon seasoning might be good next time I make this.

Place roast into the crockpot, cover and cook on high for 7 to 8 hours, turning roast over halfway through if you happen to be home. No biggie if you're not.

When done, the roast will literally be fall apart tender.

Remove the roast to a platter and loosely tent it with some foil to keep it warm.

To thicken the beans, remove about 1/2 cup of them (without the liquid) and smash them thoroughly.

Then stir the smashed beans right back into the pot.

Look how nice the beans cooked up! Taste them and add salt, only if needed, and add some Cajun seasoning or cayenne pepper, to taste, if desired. Go light though, add a little, taste and adjust.

To serve, spoon the beans over hot cooked rice and serve pieces of roast on the top or on the side. Add a mixed garden salad or green vegetable, some cornbread or bread and iced tea to round it out. Yeah, yeah... I served a salad and peas, and peas aren't a "green veggie" and might constitute starch overload, but they were leftovers and I wanted to use them up!

I will definitely be making this again and next round I plan to use the homemade onion soup seasonings along with some sauteed onion with bacon and maybe even add in a packet of Sazon seasoning too, so add in your own favorite pinto bean seasonings. You can also shred the meat and stir it back into the beans, however, the meat will take up most all of the juice from the beans, so I like it better served separately over the top of the rice and beans.

Rinse and sort the beans and add them to the slow cooker. Whisk together some of the water with the soup mix, chili powder and pepper and add to the slow cooker. Add the remaining water to the slow cooker and stir in the jalapenos. Place roast into the cooker, cover and cook on high for 7 to 8 hours, turning roast over halfway through, if possible. Roast will be fall apart tender.

Carefully remove the roast and set aside, loosely tenting with foil to keep warm. To thicken the beans, remove 1/2 cup of the beans, mash thoroughly and stir back into the pot. Taste the beans, add salt, only if needed, and cayenne pepper or Cajun seasoning to taste, if desired. To serve, spoon beans over rice and serve pieces of roast on the top or on the side. Add a garden salad or green vegetable, bread and iced tea.

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I finally found the Camelia brand beans here in TX. I had used them for years in AL but moved away and never seen them again. I had forgotten the difference until my husband brought some home he had found in Houston. They really are better beans, and have a creamy toothsome texture that I had forgotten about.

This recipe is awesome! I agree, I never thought about making homemade pork and beans. I just bought a five pound pork roast. I am going to cut it in half and make this dish and use the other half for pulled pork. Thank you Mary, for another.great recipe!

I am so making this recipe! Teresa I also bought a big pork roast on sale & cut it in half- one part for pulled pork & the other for an unknown recipe until now! Anniebakes-good point about the "evacuation" name I laughed out loud when I read that! I have a lb of HEB store brand beans that come with their own seasoning packet that I got for "free" on one of their weekly specials, so I will use that & adjust the seasonings accordingly. Also, don't have dry onion soup mix, but have a can of Campbell's french soup mix that also was free. Mary, you always have the best recipes & stories, yours is one of twofood blogs that I read religiously. I appreciate the effort you put forward. :)

Now only is this a great recipe but your idea to take the crockpot when ya skedaddle out of town to a hotel during hurricane season is fabulous!! Now we'll all have something good to eat while we throw back my Hurricane Rum Punch!! It's not just oreos, salt and vinegar potato chips, chocolate chip cookies, smoked fish dip and crackers anymore!!! Thanks!

This looks amazing!! I LOVE stuff like this! Thanks for always having these wonderful meals. I am looking at eating differently because of health issues lately. I have thumb gout??? Ever heard of it??? Actually it's arthritis I guess. Getting old Mary!

Tell me about it Debbie! I haven't heard of that but I do have arthritis in my hands pretty good already. Using a mouse all the time doesn't really help does it?!! Anyway, I hope that you enjoy the pork and beans and also that you get better soon too!

I know this is an old thread but, on high in the crockpot? That kinda scares me when we're talking about both pork and beans. I guess I've had too many dry pork loins and too many hard bean dishes in my day. Wouldn't soaking the beans overnight and crocking on low or medium all day be better? Just asking.

Hello Eric & thanks for stopping by! Good to have a healthy skepticism. All I can tell you is this recipe is how I cooked the pork & beans & the step by step pictures you see in this post above, are the results. That is not to say that just like everything else you see here on my site, or other similar sites for that matter, is written in stone either! I always suggest folks follow any recipe as written the first time & then make their own adjustments from that the next time they make it. You can adapt and make your own adjustments to recipes as you deem appropriate of course, so I say go for it! I hope that you'll report back & let us know if you do.

Thanks for taking the time to comment - I love hearing from readers and I read every single comment and try to respond to them right here on the site, so stop back by!

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